Archives for May 2016

Colony Collapse Disorder, commonly referred to as CCD, is a phenomenon currently manifesting in North America honey bee hives which causes the adult worker bees to abandon their hive, leaving behind a substantial amount of food and their queen. CCD has resulted in a loss of 50 percent to 90 percent of colonies in beekeeping operations across the United States and was first reported in the winter of 2006.[i] CCD is not only a problem for the beekeepers who revel in the economic benefits; it also presents problems for the vitality of the human race due to the fact that honey bees act as pollinators for a considerable amount of our food.

Many zoologist research groups are searching for potential factors for causing this disorder, some of which include pathogens, parasites, poor nutrition, environmental stressors, and lack of genetic diversity.[ii] For now, a single cause is scientifically unknown, and many beekeepers and zoologists would argue that CCD is not caused by one single factor, but a culmination of multiple factors.

In an attempt to remove the mystery and confusion around the disorder, scientists have stated the consistent symptoms which are often associated with CCD, including: (1) the lack of adult worker bees in or around the colonies; (2) the presence of capped brood and; (3) the presence of food that has not been robbed by other bees or common colony pests.[iii]

In 2014, President Obama signed a memorandum in order to create a federal strategy to promote the health and wellness of honey bees and other pollinators. This directive announces not only the assimilation of multiple task forces, but also outlines specific projects each force will try to accomplish.[iv] Some of these tasks include encouraging public research projects and public education programs, along with increasing and improving pollinator habitats.

Although government action has been moderately implemented, honey bee pollinators continue to die at an alarming rate, with the amount increasing each passing winter. If a new law, The Pollinator Welfare Act of 2016, were to be passed, then Federal Law would regulate the treatment, research, and transportation of the pollinators in our ecosystem. Federal law would also fund scientific research concerning the cause of CCD. This would not only benefit beekeeping farmers, but it would also help the United States economy, and the welfare of humanity.

The life of the Western honey bee (Apis mellifera), over the last few centuries, has become so intertwined with that of humanity, that they have become a vital necessity to humans. Honey bees are the the most effective pollinators, more importantly than that of birds, bats, and other insects.[v] Partly due to their sheer numbers, bees are able to pollinate a considerably large amount of land in a short time span. Most bee colonies have up to 80,000 bees per colony; and it only takes an single bee to visit a one flower.[vi]

Pollination occurs when a transfer of pollen is made from male to female organs of seed plants. This enables sexual reproduction of the plants and therefore allows the bearing of fruits and seeds eaten by a multitude of birds and mammals, including humans. Although some plants have adopted the ability to self-pollinate, about 80 percent of all plant pollination requires the help of other living creatures, most importantly bees. This is appropriately named ‘biotic pollination.’[vii]

When a bee lands on a specific male flower, nectar and pollen from the flower of the plant adhere to the hairs of its body, allowing her to move freely from plant to plant. When she visits the next flower, some of that acquired pollen is rubbed off onto the female flower and essentially, the work of the bee is complete.[viii] Without bees performing this vital step in the reproductive process, a female flower would never be able to produce the fruits and seeds that many birds and mammals not only enjoy, but require in their everyday diets.

A spectrum of fruit and vegetable crops are 90 percent or more reliant on insects for pollination; some of these include almonds, apples, avocados, blueberries, broccoli, carrots, onions, and legumes. The yield of these crops would decline to less than 10 percent if bee were to become extinct.[ix] In addition to this, increasing demand for honey bee pollination services is outpacing the availability of the colonies, due to human population escalation. Without pollinators, at least one third of our food staples we rely on would no longer be available.

Along with the multitude of fruits and vegetables bees help pollinate for us, they also pollinate food for the animals we eat, including cows and pigs. Beef and dairy cattle tend to graze on the wild grasses provided in their habitat. These include clover and alfalfa (related to clover, but slightly taller), which make up a majority of the animals’ food source. Without these staples in their diet, farmers would have to provide corn, wheat, and other grains to their livestock. Although many farmers already include corn and wheat in their animals’ feed, autumn and winter seasons are largely scarce when it comes to providing this food.[x]

“If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man.”[xi] This quote, usually attributed to Albert Einstein has a strange similarity to Colony Collapse Disorder. In fact, if bees were to completely go extinct, where would we obtain our food from? Many plants, including corn, potatoes, carrots, and leafy vegetables would be able to survive, but at significantly lower production rates than with the honeybees as pollinators. On the other hand, our vitamin-rich fruits such as melons, berries, and apples would be substantially harder to produce.[xii] Pear farmers in the southwest of China have resorted to human pollination. That is, individually pollinating each blossom individually with pots of pollen and paintbrushes.[xiii] Although this seems to be an impractical solution to the lack of pollinators, ‘human bees’ could frequent in our future agricultural practices.

Honey Bees Contribute Substantially to The United States and World Economies

In addition to the production of fruit, vegetables, and livestock, bees supply the United States economy. In America, honey bees are estimated to contribute over $15 billion annually to the economy.[xiv] This includes several products that are of direct benefit to us: honey, wax, and the resins. Globally, 87 of the 115 food crops are evaluated as dependent on pollinator populations, contributing 35 percent to global food productions.[xv] For example, California’s almond production relies almost entirely on bees for pollination and required almost 1.4 million beehives annually (60 percent of all United States beehives) to maintain this, yielding 80 percent of the world’s almond production at 4.8 billion dollars every year.[xvi]

Honey is a valuable food, beauty, and medicinal commodity throughout the world. The liquid gold, produced by the pollen that honeybees accumulate from flowers, has the potential to cure multiple ailments on the human body including cuts, scrapes, burns, sore throats, and dandruff.[xvii] It can be used as an acne treatment or added as a sweetener to tea and coffee. Each state in America produces honey, with North Dakota producing the highest dollar value at $67,565,000 with 33,120,000 pounds produced. According to a 2010 USDA’s Economic Research Service, America consumes about 410 million pounds annually.[xviii]

In addition to honey, wax is another profitable by-product of the hive. Wax is the material which bees produce to build their nest, forming the substance in the famous hexagonal-shaped cells to form the comb. Especially in rural communities, beeswax is an excellent commodity to use as a cash crop or export. In America, beeswax is chiefly used for candle-making, ingredients in ointment, medicines, soaps and polishes.[xix] Growth of these industries is expected to fuel beeswax industry expansion over the next seven years, according to Grand View Research, Inc. With this, Mr. Bidemi Ojeleye, the Director of The Center for Bee Research and Development, stresses that “it’s pertinent to note that the global honey business contributes over 200 billion U.S dollars to the global economy through the production of honey, beeswax, and other beehive products.”[xx]

Declining Bee Populations Pose a Threat to Commercial Beekeepers

Beehives have been transported by man to pollinate crops since the early days of Egypt. They were shipped by boat down the Nile to accommodate the blooming season. Today, bees are transported by semi-trucks and pollinate over $15 billion worth of food annually. Commercial beekeepers, such as David Hackenberg, who first shed light on Colony Collapse Disorder, do not make a majority of their income from honey. Rather, they make money from pollination contracts with farmers who rely on honeybees to pollinate their crops.[xxi]

Beekeepers across the United States have lost an amount of 10 million hives collectively, and each hive is estimated to cost around $200.[xxii] Due to the rapid loss of colonies across the country, beekeepers and farmers alike have invested a great source of their income to rebuilding the hives. Unfortunately, this rapid loss had caused the cost of rebuilding a colony to increase dramatically. For example, the cost of renting honey bee hives went from $50 in 2003 to $150 in 2009.[xxiii]

In early 2008, honeybee disappearances were still occurring throughout the world, and commercial beekeepers struggled to maintain their pollinator contracts. The worst case of Colony Collapse Disorder ever recorded occurred in South Dakota. Bret Adee, co-owner of Adee Honey Farms reported that when it came time to pollinate his almonds, almost 55 percent of his 80,000 honeybee colonies (two billion bees) were gone.[xxiv] “Its hard and it costs a lot of money,” said George Hansen, past president of the American Beekeeping Federation. “There’s a certain toll you have to pay when things go wrong, how many times can you take those kinds of hits and still get up and do it again?”[xxv]

Amid the chaos of this disorder, commercial beekeepers have been going to extraordinary lengths in an effort to save their beehives, or in many cases, their main source of income. A shot in the dark solution for many beekeepers is the restocking of queenless hives with new queen bees, shipped from warmer climates. In addition, they can also turn to overseas beekeepers to replenish their lack of pollinators. These bees are shipped in packages, which cost about $55 for 12,000 workers and a fertilized queen.[xxvi] It becomes increasingly expensive for beekeepers struggling to maintain their honeybee populations, a feat that has forced many of them to leave behind their self-operated business and has pushed some to the brink of bankruptcy.

Dennis van Englesdorp, a professor at the Pennsylvania State University department of Entomology states that what has happened is that “beekeepers have become very good at replacing dead hives. The average beekeeper is going to tell you that he loses 30 percent of his hives every year. But if a cow farmer or a corn grower or an apple producer lost 30 percent of their crop every year, they’d be going crazy! Like they called in the National Guard when cows were starving in Montana.”[xxvii] Without proper knowledge and education of Colony Collapse Disorder, ignorance will continue to persist, and with that ignorance comes the assurance of the fact that nothing is wrong.

Most discussions concerning Colony Collapse Disorder have focused on poor nutrition, the affect of insecticides, and viruses. However, a recent study has connected the world’s largest used herbicide, Roundup, to the decline of honeybee populations in the United States. Plant pathologist Dr. Don Huber submitted his research paper to the Center for Honeybee Research. In it, he highlighted glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, as a potential cause of CCD. He found that this chemical (1) lowers available nutrients in plants- a common cause of CCD which results in malnutrition; (2) acts as an antibiotic to beneficial bacteria, some of which is necessary for digestion; (3) is a neurotoxin- a common symptom of CCD that causes the honeybees to experience neurological distortion commonly associated with disorientation; (4) stimulates fungal overgrowth and; (5) is a persistent poison that is present in honey, nectar, and plant products, meaning honeybees are continually exposed to a toxin that has the potential to travel through their endocrine system.[xxviii]

Currently in the United States, neonicotinoids are used on about 95 percent of corn and canola crops and about half of all soy beans. They are also used on a multitude of fruits and vegetable crops including apples, berries, leafy greens, tomatoes, and potatoes.[xxix]

When governments around the world approved of these insecticides in the 1990s for use in commercial farming, many questioned the environmental impacts of neonicotinoids (“neonics”) and wondered if they could pose detrimental effect on the environment. However, many of these questions were left unanswered.[xxx] “The motivation for producing neonicotinoids was reduced human toxicity, but the environmental and ecosystem impacts were not considered in enough detail to predict what’s going on,” says James Frazier, a professor of entomology at Pennsylvania State University.[xxxi] The European Union banned the three most common neonicotinoids at the end of 2013. However, the United States used these three pesticides, along with others..[xxxii]

Apart from Roundup and other toxic pesticides, farmers and avid gardeners have the ability to rely on an assortment of non-toxic methods to ward off unwanted pests. These can include organic pesticides and environmentally friendly practices in order to control pests, insects, and weeds.[xxxiii] The use of organic farming practices preserve nature-given habitats for the honeybees and also avoid the use of chemical pesticides. Areas or regions in which organic farming practices occur serve as environmental havens for honeybee populations.[xxxiv]

The benefits of ecological farming outweigh the negatives. In fact, ecological farming is the system which humans have been profiting from throughout the course of human history, until recent. This system resists large-scale insect damage by avoiding monocultures (where one crop is mass-produced, for instance, corn) and promoting diversity in the ecosystem.[xxxv] In addition, ecological farming restores nutrients within the soil that produce natural composting systems while avoiding soil loss from wind and water erosion.[xxxvi] In total, ecological farming produces a quality crop without the use of chemicals and fertilizers which have the high potential of passing from product to consumer.

Both the Scientific and Domestic Community Agrees that Bees are Important for the Livelihood of Humans

With current news articles and media attention swarming around the issue, many people have been called on to take action into their own hands. Environmental organizations like Greenpeace and Sierra Club have encouraged consumers to buy organic food from local farmers and set up their own holistic beekeeping hive in their backyard. Whether its out a concern for our global environment or a fascination with the lives of pollinators, many American people would agree that bees are an essential part of our world.

Deforestation has become a common concern among the environmental community, stressing that if we lose the rainforest altogether, we could potentially lose the plants and animals that provide medicine and other commodities for humans. The practice of exploring nature to find commercially useful products is called bioprospecting. In fact, many plants and animals benefit us just by being; photosynthetic plankton in the sea and green plants provide us with the oxygen that we breathe.[xxxvii] And in the same way, bees provide us with one third of all the food we eat along with other medicinal purposes. Environmental organizations such as Peta, Greenpeace, and World Wildlife Fund are all concerned with providing sufficient information to the American public concerning the topic of Colony Collapse Disorder.

In 2011, Beekeepers and civilians alike across France organized an official anti-pesticide protest in the streets of France. In particularly, these former beekeepers protested outside Bayer, the company that manufactures the systemic pesticides that are in question of causing CCD.[xxxviii] They continuously burned piles upon piles of abandoned beehives in order to show the detrimental loss of their honeybees. They even went to the extend of hanging a beekeeper’s uniform from a crane to symbolically show the death of honeybees implies the death of beekeepers as well. [xxxix]

Tia Tuenge of Los Angeles, California states that “This was our first house and I had been hearing a lot about bees not having enough food because of pesticides. And so we got a gardening book and decided to build an organic garden for the bees. And I love that my daughter is learning to have a love for nature.”[xl] Also, in the spring of 2009, First Lady Michelle Obama planted an organic garden at the White House. And to help the fruits and vegetables grow, the garden holds a beehive.[xli]

In Michigan, at the Rosa Park Elementary School received an observational beehive, a project made possible by a $1,500 grant from The Bee Cause. In plight of Colony Collapse Disorder, the organization helps to raise awareness for the disease by putting observatory beehives in 1,000 school throughout the United States.[xlii] “The goal for the kids is to learn about the honeybees in general… there’s so many different things we can learn about bees including the science behind pollination and hive building but also working together as a community to raise awareness that honeybees are very threatened.”[xliii]

The EPA Has the Ability to Restrict or Limit the Use of Pesticides

The EPA, or the United States Environmental Protection Agency, is part of the federal government which was assimilated in order to protect human health and the environment, both on the national and international levels by enforcing environmental and/or health regulations based on the laws passed by Congress.[xliv] The agency conducts environmental research as well as works with other governmental agencies, including the FDA and USDA, in a plethora of environmental protection programs and energy conservation efforts.[xlv]

In response to the Colony Collapse Disorder crisis, almost 10 years after farmers and ecologists alike first began complaining of bee deaths and pesticide use, President Barack Obama issued a memorandum in order to establish a Pollinator Health Task Force, co-chaired by the USDA and the EPA.[xlvi] The EPA’s proposals to protect pollinators from pesticide use include (1) prohibiting the use of pesticides that are harmful to bee health when crops are in bloom and bees are under farming contract for pollinating services, (2) prohibit the use of neonicotinoids when bees are present, and (3) encouraging the re-evaluation of neonicotinoids as pesticides.[xlvii]

Neonicotinoids were re-assessed by the EPA in 2009- not as a single class, but as one by one instead (there are altogether 5 neonicotinoids used in the United States and globally). Although the agency has conceded that one neonicotinoid, Bayer’s imidacloprid, has affected honeybee health, the EPA has failed to mention the other four neonicotinoids that have the possibility to affect honeybee health.[xlviii]

The foods that are most likely to be affected by imidacloprid are citrus fruits. The EPA issued a statement that said crops like corn, soy, leafy greens that are sprayed with imidacloprid caused little to no harm with the honeybees. However, there are four other neonicotinoids which the EPA has yet to asses, including clothianidin.[xlix]

Shortly after the EPA proposals were released, beekeepers and environmental groups filed a lawsuit in federal court stating that the agency had failed to properly assess neonicotinoids in their most widely-used form: seed coatings.[l] These coatings are sold to farmers, usually having an unnatural blue-greenish coating on them. Throughout the life of the plant, the neonicotinoid coating grows with the plant, without a need for spraying other pesticides.[li]

Conclusion

While many honeybee hives throughout the United States and Europe continued to suffer from Colony Collapse Disorder, it is important to note that many beekeepers, environmental groups, and educational institutions are continuously making huge strides toward the awareness and prevention of this disorder. Yet the current state of affairs in the agricultural business and their relationship with governmental agencies has resulted in the inability to provide honeybees and their beekeepers with and sufficient response to the issue at hand. Undeniably, without the services that honeybees provide us with, including pollination, the ultimate result would be the worst famine the world’s populations have ever seen.

Throughout the 2007 and 2008 presidential campaign of Barack Obama, he and his team made distinguished assertions claiming that he aimed to refine the nature of the Bush presidency and the way Washington functioned. The overarching theme of change, both on the domestic and international fronts, is what embodied the message of his presidential campaign. In light of this, there was a need for a campaign ad to illustrate his goals as well as create an appeal to the American voters. In October 2007, a street artist by the name of Shepard Fairey produced Obama’s widely know ‘Hope’ campaign ad. Through the skillful use of a one-word slogan, the recognizable countenance of Barack Obama himself, and a color palette which reflects that of the American flag, Fairey was able to convey a social realistic-type ad that portrayed Obama’s 2008 optimistic campaign message, persuading the viewer to vote for him. Today, the ad can be regarded as one of the most widely recognized presidential ads, with a plethora of meanings and interpretation.

With the conservative tide of America ebbing, Barack Obama saw that the American people wanted to see something new and fresh from the government. In addition, Americans were long run dry from the Iraq War and the combination of George W. Bush’s tax cuts and his imprudent spending left America in a great economic crisis. Obama hoped to change all of this. After announcing his presidential candidacy on February 10th, 2007, Barack Obama and his team set out to mobilize a following, with their primary focus on black and white liberals as well asyoung voters. His strongest opponent, Hilary Clinton, focused her campaign theme on experience, while Obama focused his on change. In a time when the economy was at its lowest point since the Great Depression, the theme of change appealed to the masses in a greater sense. In order to support his theme of change, Obama highlighted the issues of his general election campaign. He promised to “cut taxes for 95 percent of all working families,” “end our dependence on oil from the Middle East,” provide “affordable, accessible health care for every single American,” and “end the war in Iraq responsibly and finish the fight against al Qaida and the Taliban in Afghanistan” (Miller Center). Additionally, Obama was the first Africa-American to run for office in the United States. This being said, it could have been implied that a black president was a progressive idea, moving slowly towards a more liberal and democratic America. With Obama’s objectives clearly stated, he and his team were in need of a presidential campaign ad to abide cohesively with these said amendatory objectives.

Barack Obama’s team produced an abundance of positive advertisements that encompassed the theme of his campaign. Words such as “progress,” “hope,” and “change” were all emphasized. The specific ad, which today is considered the most widely recognized presidential campaign ads, is that by street artist Shepard Fairey. It is regarded as “Obama’s ‘Hope’ poster.” This depicts a cartoon-ified portrait of Barack Obama looking up and away from the viewer’s gaze. The colors in which he is depicted in include red, beige, and light and dark blue. The single word ‘hope’ can be found at the bottom of this poster. As was previously stated, this depiction was created to portray Obama’s 2008 forward-thinking presidential campaign.

In this advertisement, Barack Obama is the main focus- mainly because he is the only subject or character in the entirety of the ad. He is shown looking up and away from the viewer’s gaze. This can signify that he and his presidential campaign is looking toward the future of America in the hopes of it becoming more progressive and liberal. His expression appears to be serious, however, it is not grave or cold. It can be considered to be optimistic, especially due to the fact that his head is tilted upward.

Concerning the color palette of the advertisement, it seems to represent the colors of America: red, white, and blue. Because of this choice of colors, Barack Obama and his objectives appears to be the utter embodiment of the ‘American Dream.’ Not one part of this ad is depicted in its original form, alluding to the fact that the cartoon-ified style of the piece is one which is inspired by the artistic style of social realism. Social realism is an artistic movement in which the artists choose to focus of the hardships of everyday life and social issues facing the public. Although this poster advertisement does not depict specific hardships of everyday life, the depiction of Barack Obama himself in the ad represents his fight to reverse the failed workings of the Bush administration and to improve the standard of living for the whole of the American people.

One word, ‘hope,’ can be seen at the bottom of this poster advertisement. The one-word statement is in block, capital letters with a simple font that’s not overly fancy. This stylistic choice manifests the quote “short, sweet, and to the point.” Also, the word is shown in light blue lettering. When shown in marketing and advertisements, the color blue indicates confidence, reliability, and responsibility- all of these adjectives, in fact, can relate back to the 2008 Obama campaign in some way. Also, the colors blue relates to one-to-one communication rather than mass communication. This is essential to the Obama campaign, because is seen to be representing the everyday American.

The word ‘hope’ itself can say a lot about the 2008 Obama campaign. In the wake of economic turmoil, the American people were desperate for a change in policy. With Obama now in the running as a presidential candidate, Americans could now hope for a better future for them and their children. Other words, such as ‘progress’ or ‘change’ could also be seen in replacement on different versions of the ad. Obama did not singly stand for change in governmental policy, he stood for change in the fight for equality of race in America. By voting for him for president, progress towards the fight for racial equality became prevalent and the idea of change for a more accepting and racially diverse society was manifested.

The 2008 Obama administration succeeded with the use of the ‘Hope’ poster advertisement in their campaign mainly by alluding to the ethos and pathos of the public. Throughout the course of history, American presidents have mainly been white, middle-to-upper-class men. However, this commonplace is quickly disproved in the ‘Hope’ poster, which clearly depicts Barack Obama’s racial difference. Ethos is stimulated through a viewer’s realization that Obama, depicted in the poster, is the nation’s first African-American man to run for president. In a time when America was driven by white supremacy (and still is today), the ethical reasoning for electing a black president seemed almost too obvious. By voting for Obama, you were voting for the racial diversification of America. After the audience’s comprehension of the fact that the poster was ethically progressive, pathos is capitalized on when a viewer, especially those of a racial minority, makes the realization that Obama represents the changing of social or professional status. When young Barack Obama was growing up, he was the subject of much racial hate, especially due to the fact that he was the only black boy in school. Many racial minorities can relate to this, because they have been in that same situation at some point in their lives. The audience feels a certain call to action when the understanding of the ethos and pathos of this poster advertisement is achieved. In this case, the call to action would be to vote for the potential first African-American president that the nation has seen.

Due to the influential character of the Obama ‘Hope’ poster, along with many other ads, Barack Obama was elected president on November 4th, 2008. He defeated his Republican adversary, John McCain, by 53 percent to 46 percent in the popular vote. Many of his supporters were young voters, or minority groups. By completing the simple act of voting, these congregations of American society now saw that they could have a voice in government policy-something they didn’t believe they possessed previously. In addition, President Barack Obama was elected again in the 2012 midterm election. He won 52 percent of the popular vote, compared to Mitt Romney’s 47 percent. Because of these specific political advancements that occurred subsequent to the presentation of the ‘Hope’ poster advertisement, progression has been made toward the fight against racial inequality not only in America, but across the globe as well. Due to its use of character, colorization, and word choice, Barack Obama’s ‘Hope’ poster achieved the goal of generating support from the popular vote with an optimistic tone while alluding to the ethos and pathos of its audience.

Ode To Cheese,
Which Makes Us Smile,
When Camera’s go Clack.
Ode To Cheese,
Which make us taste,
The greatest of flavors, the wackiest of whack.
Ode To Cheese,
Blue, Gorgonzola,
American and Cheddar.
Ode To Cheese,
Beja and Feta,
In all types of weather.
Ode To Cheese,
For those on a diet,
or trying to get fatter.
Ode To Cheese,

with crackers and wine,
with grapes can flatter.
Ode To Cheese,
when you’re sad and happy,
Cheese just fits.
Ode To Cheese,
Mountains and Mountains,
or bits and bits.

Ode to the Cheese,
To appreciate,
eat,
and take pictures.

If you haven’t guessed already, this blog is about cheese! I’m not sure I know one person who hates cheese, and that includes the vegans I’m friends with. Cheese is just…good, alright? You can put it on pretty much anything, and it takes you can bake with it, fry with it, and melt it. It’s a food that is totally versatile, and I can honestly tell you that I’ve occasionally had my bites of cheese every now and again while being vegan. Just don’t tell anyone, ok? For a long time, cheese was the only thing keeping me from becoming fully vegan; I actually hate yogurt and ice cream and I despise milk, but cheese was always on my plate. And I can assure you that many vegans today had the same struggle I have.

So what actually makes cheese and taste so good? The answer is more complicated than you would think.

Researchers at the University of Michigan found that eating cheese has the same impact on your brain as taking opiates, a drug containing morphine-like effects. This effect can be attributed partially to its processing. Erica Shute, a researcher part of the study says that “Fat seemed to be equally predictive of problematic eating for everyone, regardless of whether they experience symptoms of food addiction.” And as we all know, cheese contains an exceedingly high amount of fat content.

In addition, researchers also found the protein casein, which cheese has a high density of, can also create opiate-like effects in the brain when cheese is eaten. Casein brakes down into casomorphine when digested and is the amino acid that causes the pleasure receptors in your brain to go crazy. If the cheese you eat has a higher density of casein, then the more pleasure you will receive. Kinda crazy right? Essentially, you are addicted to cheese- just as if a drug user was addicted to heroine! Neal Barnard, MD says that one could call cheese “dairy crack.”

Cheese and other dairy products are extremely yummy, yummy enough to get someone to write an entire poem about it. But what is interesting to note is that dairy products contain a high amount of pus cells. Pus, as in pimple pus. Hearing this first hand, I was completely disgusted and I had to research why dairy had this vile substance in it.

In a comercial factory farm, the antiseptics used to clean the dairy cow’s utters is immersed in iodine, which can magnify the amount of pus in their utters, which are already infected. In fact, the FDA or Food and Drug Administration allows up to 750 million pus cells in each liter of milk sold at the store. That’s a substantial amount compared to Europe, who regulates that only 40 million pus cells in a liter of milk be allowed into a liter of milk. Not only are we consuming this substance, but it might be the cause of why so many people have acne problems. As someone who has switched from vegetarian to vegan and someone who struggles with sensitive skin, I can tell you that I have experienced a considerable

difference with my skin complexion. If you’re someone who has the same struggles as I do, I would consider cutting down on dairy products.

“But i neeeeeed calcium.”Of course you do, everyone does, but you also need other minerals such as copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, selenium, and zinc. Honestly, this goes hand in hand with the same “so where do you get your protein?” question that vegans face on the daily. Calcium is not synonymous with dairy, just as protein is not synonymous with animal meat. We’re persuaded by the dairy industries to think that calcium is the only vitamin or mineral that we need, when in reality you need a lot more, as mentioned above, to have a healthy and efficiently functioning body.

Please, I beg everyone to educate themselves on the topic of calcium. Calcium can be obtained from a variety of sources, including beans, flax seeds, orange juice, soy milk, nuts, okra, butternut squash, raisins, figs, broccoli, and collard greens. These foods are also high in other necessary nutrients, whereas dairy is not very nutrient dense. Also, you’re adding unnecessary fat and sodium into your body.

To many vegans delight, vegan companies have created a multitude of cheese substitutes that I enjoy on the daily. My favorite brand is GoVeggie! because their cream cheese is to die for. Other brands include Daiya, Tofutti, Chao, and Parma! Essentially, anything that meat-eaters and cheese-lovers enjoy, vegans can find a substitute for.

Everything comes in moderation. And even if you can’t completely give up cheese, I would suggest limiting your dairy intake, as it could be beneficial for your health in the long run.